Cedar Rapids, IA, USA  
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe Today
The Gazette The Gazette
The Gazette The Gazette
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe
CLOSE
The Gazette
Subscribe
My Account
  • News
    • All News
    • Election 2020
    • Coronavirus
    • Business News
    • Community
    • Crime and Courts
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Nation and World
    • Time Machine
    • Search Archive

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Lee Hermiston
    • Erin Jordan
    • James Q. Lynch
    • Trish Mehaffey
    • Vanessa Miller
    • Kat Russell
    • Grace King
    • John Steppe
    • Gage Miskimen
    • Marissa Payne
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Iowa Hawkeyes
    • Hawkeye Football
    • Hawkeye Basketball
    • Prep Sports
    • Prep Volleyball
    • Prep Football
    • Prep Basketball
    • Prep Wrestling
    • Iowa State Cyclones
    • UNI Panthers
    • Small College Sports
    • Minor League Sports
    • Outdoors

    Sports Desk

    • Mike Hlas
    • Jeff Johnson
    • Jeff Linder
    • J.R. Ogden
    • K.J. Pilcher
    • Leah Vann
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial Mission
    • Guest Columnists
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Political Cartoons
    • Staff Columnists
    • Staff Editorials
    • Submit a Letter or Column

    Our Columnists

    • Todd Dorman
    • Adam Sullivan
  • Food and Drink
    • All Food and Drink
    • Chew on This
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Business Notes
    • Companies
    • Personal Finance
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Energy
    • Manufacturing
    • Openings & Closures
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Small Business
    • Transportation

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Erin Jordan
    • John Steppe
  • Obituaries
    • All Obituaries
    • In Memory Of
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • Daily News Podcast
    • Fact Checker
    • Hlastradamus Odds
    • Iowa Prep Sports
    • On Iowa
    • On Iowa Politics
    • On UNI
    • Pinning Combination
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Art
    • Books
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Things To Do
  • Living
    • All Living
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Milestones
    • People & Places
    • Pets & Animals
    • Recreation
    • Religion & Belief
    • Travel

    Our Writers

    • Diana Nollen
    • Elijah Decious
  • Kids Gazette
    • See All
    • Kids Cooking Series
    • Kids Galleries
    • Printables
    • Activities
    • Articles
    • Submissions
    • Resources
  • Photos
    • All Photos and Videos
    • The Iowa Photo
    • Photo Store

    Our Photojournalists

    • Andy Abeyta
    • Liz Martin
    • Rebecca Miller
    • Jim Slosiarek
    • Gazette Visuals
  • Milestones
    • All Milestones
    • Anniversaries
    • Days To Remember
    • Engagements
    • Holidays
    • In Remembrance
    • New Arrivals
    • Thank Yous
    • Submit a Milestone
  • Data
    • Arrests
    • Building Permits
    • Interactive Maps & Charts
    • Salaries
  • Gazette Sites
    • Classifieds
    • Corridor Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Gazette Gives Back
    • Gazette Rewards
    • Gazette Store
    • Green Gazette
    • HER
    • Iowa Wedding Experience
    • Holiday Light Finder
    • Hoopla
    • Iowa Ideas
    • Photo Store
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
    • About The Gazette
    • Archives
    • Article Removal
    • Business Directory
    • CR Arrest Database
    • Mobile Apps
    • Customer Care
    • Order Back Issues
    • Privacy Policies
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Sponsorship Requests
    • Submit a Letter
    • Weather
  • Digital Edition
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast
Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
Log out

FOLLOW US

The Gazette
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
  • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
  • Entertainment
  • Living
  • Kids Gazette
  • Photos
  • Milestones
  • Data
  • Gazette Sites
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
  • Digital Edition
  • All News
  • Election 2020
  • Coronavirus
  • Business News
  • Community
  • Crime and Courts
  • Education
  • Government
  • Health
  • Nation and World
  • Time Machine
  • Search Archive

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Lee Hermiston
  • Erin Jordan
  • James Q. Lynch
  • Trish Mehaffey
  • Vanessa Miller
  • Kat Russell
  • Grace King
  • John Steppe
  • Gage Miskimen
  • Marissa Payne
  • All Sports
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Hawkeye Football
  • Hawkeye Basketball
  • Prep Sports
  • Prep Volleyball
  • Prep Football
  • Prep Basketball
  • Prep Wrestling
  • Iowa State Cyclones
  • UNI Panthers
  • Small College Sports
  • Minor League Sports
  • Outdoors

Sports Desk

  • Mike Hlas
  • Jeff Johnson
  • Jeff Linder
  • J.R. Ogden
  • K.J. Pilcher
  • Leah Vann
  • All Opinion
  • Editorial Mission
  • Guest Columnists
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Political Cartoons
  • Staff Columnists
  • Staff Editorials
  • Submit a Letter or Column

Our Columnists

  • Todd Dorman
  • Adam Sullivan
  • All Food and Drink
  • Chew on This
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • All Business
  • Agriculture
  • Business Notes
  • Companies
  • Personal Finance
  • Economy
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Manufacturing
  • Openings & Closures
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Small Business
  • Transportation

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Erin Jordan
  • John Steppe
  • All Obituaries
  • In Memory Of
  • Submit an Obituary
  • All Podcasts
  • Daily News Podcast
  • Fact Checker
  • Hlastradamus Odds
  • Iowa Prep Sports
  • On Iowa
  • On Iowa Politics
  • On UNI
  • Pinning Combination
  • All Entertainment
  • Art
  • Books
  • Museums & Galleries
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Things To Do
  • All Living
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • Milestones
  • People & Places
  • Pets & Animals
  • Recreation
  • Religion & Belief
  • Travel

Our Writers

  • Diana Nollen
  • Elijah Decious
  • See All
  • Kids Cooking Series
  • Kids Galleries
  • Printables
  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • All Photos and Videos
  • The Iowa Photo
  • Photo Store

Our Photojournalists

  • Andy Abeyta
  • Liz Martin
  • Rebecca Miller
  • Jim Slosiarek
  • Gazette Visuals
  • All Milestones
  • Anniversaries
  • Days To Remember
  • Engagements
  • Holidays
  • In Remembrance
  • New Arrivals
  • Thank Yous
  • Submit a Milestone
  • Arrests
  • Building Permits
  • Interactive Maps & Charts
  • Salaries
  • Classifieds
  • Corridor Careers
  • Garage Sales
  • Gazette Gives Back
  • Gazette Rewards
  • Gazette Store
  • Green Gazette
  • HER
  • Iowa Wedding Experience
  • Holiday Light Finder
  • Hoopla
  • Iowa Ideas
  • Photo Store
  • About The Gazette
  • Archives
  • Article Removal
  • Business Directory
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Mobile Apps
  • Customer Care
  • Order Back Issues
  • Privacy Policies
  • Puzzle Answers
  • Sponsorship Requests
  • Submit a Letter
  • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
LOG OUT

FOLLOW US

More Stories

Brucemore celebrates 40 years of being open to the public

IMU COVID vaccine clinic coming

Meet the Iowan behind the Vaccine Hunter website

Wellington Heights home gutted in 2017 fire finally coming down

26-year-old man killed in shooting in NE Cedar Rapids

Peggy Whitson to be keynote speaker for Iowa Ideas 2021

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

Livestream: Funeral for Iowa state trooper Jim Smith

Home / Living / Home & Garden

Will snow hurt your garden this winter? Here’s what you should know

By Veronica Lorson Fowler, The Iowa Gardener Dec. 19, 2020 8:00 am Updated: Dec. 18, 2020 3:41 pm
Will snow hurt your garden this winter? Here’s what you should know

It's winter in Iowa and that means snow - and sometimes lots of it.

Gardeners sometimes worry that snow is bad for their plants, but in many cases, it actually helps protect them.

Snow is often called 'white mulch.” That's because when it covers plants, like a big fluffy white comforter, it protects them from temperature extremes and desiccating winds.

Snow also insulates the ground itself, preventing it from the extremes of warm and cold that can cause frost-heave, which can unearth plants and expose their vulnerable roots to bitter cold.

So when you are shoveling show, don't worry if you are tossing it on your perennials, roses, and other low-lying plants. As long as it doesn't contain salt, it's actually beneficial.

Remember, too, that snow is moisture. It eventually melts and is absorbed, at least partly, into the soil.

Of course, heavy, wet snow can be a problem for some plants, primarily evergreens. Extremely heavy snow load can snap branches and flatten smaller, more delicate evergreens. Usually, it's best to let nature do its thing. If there's a snowstorm and your favorite evergreens are bending over or branches seem to be straining, it's OK to gently brush off the snow or shake the branch gently. Just be careful not to do additional damage.

If ice is the culprit, that's another matter. Leave it and the plant alone. You're as likely to do additional damage as you are to help the plant in any significant way.

Will salt or de-icer hurt plants and soil?

When tending your driveways and walks after a snow, be careful about salt. Not only does it do damage to vehicles and concrete, it can also seep into the soil and damage plants, causing them in spring to grow unhealthy and often with a sickly yellow hue.

If possible, use more chemically friendly materials to make sidewalks and drives less slippery, such as coarse sand, sawdust or Kitty Litter.

If you must use salt, look for formulations that are less damaging to plants. Start by reading the label carefully. Many will state if they are less harmful to plants.

It's also helpful if you can avoid de-icer in the late winter through early spring, when plants are coming out of dormancy and are most vulnerable to salt damage.

Avoid those made with sodium chloride, also known as rock salt and one of the less expensive de-icers. Another de-icer, calcium chloride, is less harmful to plants than sodium chloride. Magnesium chloride is a less harmful option still.

Another good option is potassium chloride, also called muriate of potash. It's used in fertilizers and does minimal damage to plants. The best option of all is calcium magnesium acetate. It is, predictably, also the most expensive.

Whatever de-icer you use, follow any directions the label to determine recommended application methods and rates. Then use it as sparingly as possible.

If you have lawn or plants along a road, they likely will be subject to salt spray spread by city and county trucks. Or the salt is spread on the road, but with the next pass of the snow plow, it's thrown up onto your lawn and plantings.

Salt can damage plants fairly quickly. In late winter if it makes contact with buds and small twigs of some plants, it enters the plant cells or the spaces between the cells and makes them vulnerable to die back from freezing.

Salt in the soil holds onto moisture and doesn't make it available to plant roots, causing drought-like conditions for plants even though there might be ample rain and watering.

Another problem is that as the de-icer dissolves, it can create a substance that is toxic to plants, causing leaf scorch and its characteristic yellowing and browning of leaves.

Come spring, many gardeners worry when snow dusts their beautiful early-blooming bulbs, such as crocuses, daffodils, and early tulips. They're made for early spring and cold weather, and unless they're snapped by an ice storm, they will be fine.

Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of The Iowa Gardener website at theiowagardener.com.

The end of the backyard garden season became official on the night of Oct. 28, when 2 inches of snow fell on Fairfield. (Union)
Gardening in Iowa

Trending

  • Local comic ’Bustin Dustin’ sentenced to 1 year in federal…

    Trish Mehaffey

  • Migrant children are not ’our problem,’ governor — they’re our…

    Staff Editorial

  • Iowa City man faces life in prison for sexually abusing…

    Trish Mehaffey

  • We had questions; Caitlin Clark has answers

    Jeff Linder

  • An example of United Way funds at work in E.…

    The Gazette Opinion Staff

Give us feedback

We work hard to provide fair, accurate coverage because we value your trust. If you find an error or omission in our reporting, please tell us here.

Submit a story idea

Do you have a story idea that we should look into? Please tell us here.

Related Stories

Sowing Success

Sowing Success

Dorothy de Souza Guedes Home & Garden Apr. 11, 2021 1:45 pm

Finding space for vegetables

Finding space for vegetables

By Veronica Lorson Fowler, correspondent Home & Garden Mar. 28, 2021 11:31 am

Start your own seeds to get a head start and…

Start your own seeds to get a head start and…

By Dorothy de Souza Guedes, correspondent Home & Garden Mar. 20, 2021 10:47 am

Home & Garden

Find the perfect quilt this weekend at Quilt Amana, inaugural…

Find the perfect quilt this weekend at Quilt Amana, inaugural…

Diana Nollen

Community Apr. 7, 2021 2:03 pm

The gardener’s gardener is ready for spring at Fairfax Greenhouse

The gardener’s gardener is ready for spring at Fairfax Greenhouse

By Steve Gravelle, correspondent

Business News Apr. 5, 2021 12:32 pm

Signing on dotted line to buy a house is just…

Signing on dotted line to buy a house is just…

By Erin Owen, correspondent

Home & Garden Apr. 2, 2021 11:22 am

Up on the roof: A look at what goes into…

Up on the roof: A look at what goes into…

By Jessica Carney, for The Gazette

Home & Garden Mar. 29, 2021 5:25 pm

Life

Brucemore celebrates 40 years of being open to the public

Brucemore celebrates 40 years of being open to the public

Diana Nollen

Living Apr. 16, 2021 10:33 am

Meet the Iowan behind the Vaccine Hunter website

Meet the Iowan behind the Vaccine Hunter website

Michaela Ramm

Health Care and Medicine Apr. 15, 2021 2:03 pm

Tracy Bell has been perfect for 5 decades

Tracy Bell has been perfect for 5 decades

By Lane Lafler

Recreation Apr. 15, 2021 3:30 pm

Twisters gymnastics teams shine at state tournaments

Twisters gymnastics teams shine at state tournaments

Community

Recreation Apr. 9, 2021 12:46 pm

News

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

Here’s how to get rid of your derecho tree debris

, Marissa Payne

Community Apr. 16, 2021 9:30 pm

100 days after attack, Hinson wants Capitol fence to be…

100 days after attack, Hinson wants Capitol fence to be…

James Q. Lynch

Government & Politics Apr. 16, 2021 8:50 pm

Iowan accused of assaulting officers during Capitol riot

Iowan accused of assaulting officers during Capitol riot

Washington Post

Crime and Courts Apr. 16, 2021 9:11 pm

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Michael Richards, reappointed to the Board of Regents

Vanessa Miller

Higher Ed Apr. 16, 2021 6:46 pm

Sports

5 things I’m watching at my first Iowa football open…

5 things I’m watching at my first Iowa football open…

Leah Vann

Hawkeye Football Apr. 16, 2021 7:56 pm

Photos: Iowa Hawkeyes softball vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Photos: Iowa Hawkeyes softball vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Jim Slosiarek

Apr. 16, 2021 7:45 pm

Kylie Feuerbach: Former Cyclone, future Hawkeye

Kylie Feuerbach: Former Cyclone, future Hawkeye

Jeff Linder

Hawkeye Basketball Apr. 16, 2021 7:10 pm

Working for the Weekend: Hard work powers Central’s Blade Durbala…

Working for the Weekend: Hard work powers Central’s Blade Durbala…

K.J. Pilcher

Sports Apr. 16, 2021 7:21 pm

FOLLOW US

The Gazette is Iowa’s independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage.

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 116 3rd St SE
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
  • customercare@thegazette.com
  • (319) 398-8333
  • Live Chat

Links

  • Puzzle Answers
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Article Removal Request
  • Gazette Archives
  • Green Gazette
  • Corridor Careers Jobs
  • Work at The Gazette
  • Customer Care

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility
Folience A Folience Company